Raheem Sterling was the best player on the pitch in England’s 1-1 draw against Italy on Tuesday evening.“Pep's getting the best of the forward. Now Southgate is. Purring performance,” the Daily Mail wrote in their assessment of Sterling’s performance, handing him an eight out of 10 rating.Pep Guardiola has transformed Sterling into a player who can be relied upon to produce week in, week out, something that wasn’t guaranteed during his Liverpool career.And it’s given England supporters something to be excited about heading into the World Cup.Sterling will support Harry Kane in attack in Russia and there’s a case to be made that England’s attack is the best it's been in years.Kane has emerged as a genuinely world class striker at Tottenham Hotspur and if he can carry his form this season - the 24-year-old has scored 35 goals in all competitions - into the World Cup, then England may finally live up to the hype.Gareth Southgate will be acutely aware that he needs to get the best out of Kane and Sterling in Russia, simply because both can make a difference.

What Ferdinand said about Kane & Sterling in 2015

Yet there was a time when the pair weren’t fancied quite so highly when stacked up against the world’s best players.

Back in the summer of 2015, former England and Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand sent a tweet and it shows perfectly how far Kane and Sterling have both come.

“English players are soooo overpriced right now it’s a joke!,” Ferdinand wrote in June 2015.

“Kane & Sterling have huge potential but £40m & £50m… [Sergio] Aguero £38m & [Alexis] Sanchez £32m!!!”

Ferdinand’s point about English players being overpriced is fair, and he’s probably still right.

But the fact that he thought that £40m for Kane was too much, given a £200m price tag has now been slapped on his head, according to reports, is staggering.

And Sterling is only 23-years-old but how much is he worth today? It’s considerably more than £50m.

Credit to both players. Both have worked incredibly hard and are now reaping the benefits with individual acclaim and a guaranteed place in England’s World Cup squad.